RU2552044C2 - Ice generator and refrigerator with ice generator - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: heating.

SUBSTANCE: refrigerator includes ice mould where ice cubes are formed, pusher for ice cube unloading from the ice mould, tank for storage of ice cubes unloaded by the pusher, auger for ice cube transportation from ice tank, first drive unit for rotation force transmission to the pusher, second drive unit for rotation force transmission to the auger, emitter generating optical signal of maximum ice cube level in the ice tank, and receiver for optical signals from the emitter. Either emitter or receiver is mounted on the first drive unit while the other is mounted on the second drive unit.

EFFECT: reliable operation of ice generator, simplified design.

15 cl, 10 dwg

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a refrigerator including an optical sensor for determining whether or not the ice cubes contained in the ice bin are at the maximum ice level.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Basically, a refrigerator refers to a device that stores a food product in a cold state using a refrigeration circuit consisting of a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve and an evaporator, and also includes an ice maker to form ice cubes.

An ice maker includes an ice maker in which ice cubes are formed, an ejector for discharging ice cubes from the ice maker, an ice hopper for storing ice cubes discharged from the ice maker, and a controller for controlling the ice formation such way, automatically forming ice cubes.

In this case, the ice maker further includes an element for determining the ice level, for determining whether the ice bin is completely filled with ice cubes, and for determining whether or not additional ice cubes need to be prepared. An optical sensor is used as an element for determining ice level, and the optical sensor includes an emitter for delivering optical signals and a receiver for receiving optical signals.

Disclosure of invention

Technical problem

However, the refrigerator, which typically uses an optical sensor as an element to determine the ice level, further includes a heater for the optical sensor to prevent malfunction due to fog and frost formed around the optical sensor.

Solution

Therefore, an aspect of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator having an improved design that does not require a conventional heater for an optical sensor to prevent fog when using an optical sensor to determine the level of ice in an ice bin.

Additional aspects of the present invention will be set forth in the following description, and in part will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the present invention.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, a refrigerator includes an ice-making mold in which ice cubes are formed, an ejector for unloading ice cubes from the ice-making mold, an ice hopper for storing ice cubes unloaded by the ejector, an auger for moving ice cubes from ice hopper, first drive unit for transmitting rotational force to the ejector, second drive unit for transmitting rotational force to the screw, emitter for issuing optical signals for determining th, that are or not ice cubes in the hopper to a maximum level of ice in the ice, and a receiver for receiving optical signals issued by the transmitter, with any one of the transmitter and receiver is mounted on the first drive unit and the other mounted on the second drive assembly.

The first drive unit may be located in front of the ice mold, and the second drive unit may be located at the back of the ice bin.

Any one of the emitter and receiver can be installed in the rear lower section of the first drive unit, and the other can be installed in the front upper section of the second drive unit.

The first drive unit may include a first electric motor for generating rotational force, a first housing for receiving the first electric motor, and a first optical sensor receiving portion located on the inner surface of the first housing for mounting the emitter or receiver.

The first drive unit may further include a controller that is housed in a first housing for controlling the ice making process.

The first housing can be made on one of its surfaces with an aperture, so that the emitter or receiver mounted in the first section to accommodate the optical sensor is open to the outside.

The first portion for receiving the optical sensor may include a first mounting portion that protrudes from the inner side surface of the first housing, and a first region for receiving the optical sensor formed inside the first mounting portion.

The first portion for receiving the optical sensor may further include protrusions that protrude from opposite inner side surfaces of the first mounting portion to support the emitter or receiver.

The second drive unit may include a second electric motor for generating rotational force, a second housing for receiving the second electric motor, and a second optical sensor housing located on the surface of the second housing for mounting the emitter or receiver.

The second portion for receiving the optical sensor may include a second mounting portion that projects from the outer side surface of the second housing, and a second region for receiving the optical sensor formed inside the second mounting portion.

The refrigerator may further include a blower for forming a circulation channel for cold air in the ice-making chamber, wherein the emitter and receiver may be located on the circulation channel.

The refrigerator may further include an element for depositing hoarfrost located on the ice-making chamber to cause ice to be deposited on the element for hoarfrost.

The refrigerator may further include a refrigerant pipe to allow at least part of it to come into contact with the ice mold to supply cold air to the ice chamber, the frost element may include heat exchange fins that protrude from the bottom of the ice mold.

The hoarfrost depositing element may include a heat exchanger located on the ice-making chamber to supply cold air to the ice-making chamber.

The hoarfrost element may include hoarfrost plates located on an ice-making chamber.

The refrigerator may further include a main body, a storage chamber formed in the main body when opened on its front surface, and an ice making chamber formed in the storage chamber.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a refrigerator having a storage chamber, an ice making chamber formed in the storage chamber, an ice making mold in which ice cubes are formed, an ice hopper for storing ice cubes unloaded from the ice making mold and an optical sensor for determining whether or not the ice cubes in the ice hopper are at the maximum ice level, the optical sensor including an emitter for generating optical signals and a receiver for receiving and the optical signals issued by the transmitter, and the transmitter and receiver are mounted on the high-temperature portion having a relatively high temperature in the chamber for making ice.

The high temperature portion may include a first drive unit for discharging ice cubes into an ice hopper.

The first drive unit may include a controller for controlling the ice making process.

The high temperature portion may include a second drive unit for moving ice cubes from the ice bin.

An ice making chamber may be formed with a circulation channel for cold air, and the emitter and receiver may be located on the circulation channel.

The refrigerator may further include an element for depositing hoarfrost located on the ice-making chamber to cause hoarfrost to be deposited on the hoarfrost element itself.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a refrigerator includes an ice-making mold in which ice cubes are formed, an ejector for discharging ice-cubes from the ice-making mold, an ice hopper for storing ice cubes fed from the ice-making mold, an auger for moving the ice cubes from the ice hopper, the first drive unit mounted on one side in the longitudinal direction of the ice preparation mold to actuate the ejector, the second drive unit installed mounted on one side in the longitudinal direction of the ice hopper when installed to be located on the opposite side of the first drive unit for driving the screw, an emitter for issuing optical signals to determine whether or not ice cubes in the ice hopper are at the maximum ice level and a receiver for receiving optical signals issued by the emitter, wherein any one of the emitter and receiver is mounted on the lower end of the first drive unit, and the other is installed on the upper end of the second drive th node.

The emitter and receiver can be installed to address each other.

The emitter and receiver can be installed in a diagonal direction to increase the detection range.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, an ice maker may include an ice maker in which ice cubes are formed, an ice hopper for storing ice cubes unloaded from the ice maker, a first drive unit that generates a rotational force to discharge the ice cubes from the ice mold, a second drive unit that generates a rotational force to move the ice cubes from the ice hopper, and an optical sensor to determine whether or not the cubes are in the ice bin at the maximum ice level, the optical sensor including an emitter for delivering optical signals and a receiver for receiving optical signals emitted by the emitter, and any one of the emitter and receiver is mounted on the first drive unit, and the other is mounted on the second drive unit node.

Favorable Results of the Invention

As is clear from the above description, since a conventional heater for an optical sensor is not needed, an ice maker and a refrigerator including an ice maker, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention, may have the following various results.

Firstly, the cost of products is reduced.

Secondly, the control logic for controlling the heater for the optical sensor is not needed.

Thirdly, since there is no malfunction related to the heater for the optical sensor, the reliability of the products is improved.

Fourth, since there is no power consumption by the heater for the optical sensor, power consumption is reduced.

Fifth, the efficient use of space in the ice-making chamber is enhanced by a compact device for determining ice levels.

In addition, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention, since the emitter and receiver that make up the optical sensors are mounted on the first and second drive units of the ice maker instead of a separate structure, a separate additional process for assembling the optical sensors is not needed, thereby increasing ease of assembly and providing mass production.

Brief Description of the Drawings

These and / or other aspects of the present invention will become apparent and more readily apparent from the following description of embodiments together with the accompanying drawings, in which:

figure 1 is a front view of a refrigerator in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

figure 2 is a view in section of the refrigerator in figure 1;

figure 3 is a perspective view of the ice generator in figure 2;

figure 4 is a sectional view of the ice generator in figure 2;

5 is a view for explaining the process of determining the ice level of the ice maker in FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of an ice preparation chamber in which the ice maker of FIG. 2 is installed;

Fig.7 is an enlarged view of the first section for accommodating the optical sensor in Fig.4;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged view of a second portion for receiving the optical sensor in Fig. 4;

Fig.9 is a view in section of an ice maker in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention; and

10 is a sectional view of an ice maker in accordance with yet another embodiment of the present invention.

The best embodiment of the invention

Reference will be made in detail to embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals refer to like elements.

Figure 1 is a front view of a refrigerator in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is a view in section of the refrigerator in figure 1.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

For information, the refrigerator, which is indicated by the reference numeral 1, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention relates to a so-called French door refrigerator, comprising in its upper section a refrigerator that opens and closes with a pair of doors when it contains a drawer-type freezer drawer. However, it should be understood that the technical idea of the present invention is not limited to a French door refrigerator and can also be applied to various types of refrigerators, such as a two-door refrigerator, a refrigerator with a freezer installed in the lower part, a refrigerator with a freezer installed in the upper part, and a four-door refrigerator etc.

The refrigerator 1 includes a main body 2, storage chambers 3 and 4 located in the main body 2, doors 5 and 6 for opening and closing the storage chambers 3 and 4, respectively, an ice making chamber 40, an ice maker 42 located on an ice chamber 40, a refrigeration circuit 20 for supplying cold air and a dispenser 30 for unloading ice cubes to the outside without opening each of the doors 5 or 6.

Storage chambers 3 and 4 are divided into upper and lower chambers by means of a horizontal partition, so that the main body 2 contains a refrigeration chamber 3 in its upper section when kept in its lower section of the freezer 4.

The refrigerator compartment 3 may comprise at least one shelf 9 on which the food product is placed.

Doors 5 and 6 consist of a pair of doors 5 of the refrigerator compartment and doors 6 of the freezer, respectively, and doors 5 of the refrigerator compartment open and close the front surface of the refrigerator compartment 3. Doors 5 of the refrigerator compartment are pivotally connected on opposite sides of the main body 2 for corresponding forward rotation. Each of the doors 5 of the refrigerator compartment may contain on its front surface a handle 7 of the door of the refrigerator compartment, which extends in length in the up and down directions to open and close the door 5 of the refrigerator compartment.

The door 6 of the freezer is made in the form of a drawer and is mounted on the main body for sliding and sliding. The door 6 of the freezer contains on its upper surface a handle 8 of the door of the freezer for opening and closing the door 6 of the freezer.

Moreover, the refrigerating chamber 3 contains on one side of its upper section an ice-making chamber 40 separated by a casing 41 of the ice-making chamber. An ice maker 42 is located in the ice maker 40 for making ice cubes.

The ice maker 42 includes a first drive unit 100, a second drive unit 120, an emitter 150 for delivering optical signals for detecting ice level, and a receiver 151 for receiving optical signals, and this will be described in detail below.

In this case, the emitter 150 can be installed on the first drive unit 100, while the receiver 151 can be installed on the second drive unit 120.

The refrigeration circuit 20 is formed to independently supply a refrigerant to each of their refrigerating chambers 3, the freezing chamber 4 and the ice making chamber 40. The main body 2 contains on one side of its lower portion a compressor 21 for compressing a refrigerant while containing a condenser 22 on its rear surface for condensing the compressed refrigerant. The condensed refrigerant from the condenser 22 may pass through a channel selectively switched by a switching valve 23.

When the channel is directed to the second expansion valve 25, the refrigerant expanded by the second expansion valve 25, sequentially passes through the evaporator 26 of the refrigerating chamber and the evaporator 27 of the freezing chamber for supplying to each of the refrigerating chamber 3 and the freezing chamber 4.

Cold air generated by the evaporator 26 of the refrigerating chamber is supplied to the refrigerating chamber 3 through a channel 13 for supplying cold air to the refrigerating chamber. Cold air of the channel 13 for supplying cold air to the refrigerating chamber is supplied to the refrigerating chamber 3 through an opening 15 for discharging cold air of the refrigerating chamber by the fan 14 of the refrigerating chamber.

On the other hand, cold air generated by the evaporator 27 of the freezer is supplied to the freezer 4 through a channel 16 for supplying cold air to the freezer. The cold air of the channel 16 for supplying cold air to the freezer is supplied to the freezer 4 through the hole 18 for discharging cold air of the freezer by the fan 17 of the freezer.

Moreover, when the channel is directed to the first expansion valve 24, the refrigerant expanded by the first expansion valve 24 is directed and supplied to the ice making chamber 40 and then again directed to the evaporator 26 of the refrigerating chamber and the evaporator 27 of the freezing chamber.

In this case, the refrigerant supply line 28 for supplying the refrigerant contains in its section a refrigerant line 29 for making ice, which passes through the inside of the ice making chamber 40. The refrigerant ice line 29 of the ice maker comes into contact with the lower portion of the ice maker 50 to directly cool the ice maker 50.

The dispenser 30 includes an unloading area 31, formed so that the corresponding one of the doors 5 of the refrigerator compartment is recessed on a portion of its front surface, an unloading channel 34 for guiding ice cubes from the ice making chamber 40 to the discharge area 31, an discharge opening 33 formed at the outlet of the discharge channel 34, and an opening and closing element 32 for opening and closing the discharge outlet 33.

Accordingly, the user can easily get the ice cubes prepared by the ice maker 42 without opening the door 5.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the ice generator in figure 2. Figure 4 is a sectional view of the ice maker in figure 2. 5 is a view for explaining the process of determining the ice level of the ice maker in FIG. 2. FIG. 6 is a sectional view of an ice preparation chamber in which the ice maker of FIG. 2 is installed.

5 and 6, reference numeral “152” refers to ice cubes. The dashed line in FIG. 5 refers to the direct optical channel between the emitter 150 and the receiver 151.

An embodiment of the present invention will be further described below with reference to FIGS. 3-6. The ice maker 42 includes an ice maker 50, an ejector 60, an ice hopper 80, an auger 81, an ice chamber fan 43, a first drive unit 100 and a second drive unit 120.

The ice mold 50 serves as a container in which ice cubes are prepared and is open on its upper surface for supplying water. The ice-making mold 50 has a plurality of ice-forming grooves 51 formed in a substantially semicircular sectional view.

The ice-making mold 50 is formed on one side with a water supply portion 56 for supplying water to the ice grooves 51.

The inclined ice mold 50 contains a plurality of sliding elements 55, so that the ice cubes made in the ice mold 50 are freed from the ice and glide down. The sliding elements 55 are formed in the longitudinal direction at a predetermined distance from each other.

The ice-making mold 50 may be made of metal having high thermal conductivity for directly cooling the water located in the grooves 51 to form ice. An ice maker 50 is formed on opposite sides of its lower portion with grooves 54 for installing a refrigerant pipe to come into contact with a refrigerant ice pipe 29, which passes through the ice maker 40.

In addition, the ice-making mold 50 is formed in a central region of its lower portion with a plurality of heat-exchange fins 57 that protrude from its lower portion. Due to this configuration, since the ice-making mold 50 itself absorbs heat when the refrigerant is evaporated, ice can be prepared by direct cooling, thereby allowing for the rapid preparation of ice cubes.

Moreover, since each of the heat exchange ribs 57 formed on the ice-making mold 50 has the lowest temperature in the ice-making chamber 40, hoarfrost is usually deposited on the heat-exchanging rib 57 in comparison with other ice-making devices of the ice-making chamber 40. That is, the heat exchange rib 57 serves as an element for hoarfrost to prevent hoarfrost on other devices or sites by causing hoarfrost to deposit on the heat exchange rib 57 itself.

In addition, grooves 53 for installing a defrost heater are formed between each groove 54 for installing a refrigerant pipe and a corresponding heat exchange rib 57 for installing defrost heaters 52, respectively. Defrosting heaters 52 allow for easy separation of ice cubes by supplying heat to the ice maker 50 while separating ice cubes prepared in the ice maker 50 from the ice maker 50.

In addition, a plate-shaped drainage channel 70 is located behind the ice-making mold 50 to drain the water formed by melting the frost deposited on the ice-making mold 50. A drainage channel 70 is disposed to be a small distance from the lower portion of the ice mold 50, so that a portion of the cold air circulation channel 44 is formed between the ice mold 50 and the drainage channel 70.

In this case, the ejector 60 serves to separate and unload ice cubes from the ice-making mold 50 and includes a rotating ejector shaft 61 located longitudinally in the central region of the ice-making mold 50 and a plurality of ejector ribs 62 that protrude to the grooves 51 to form ice from the rotary ejector shaft 61.

The rotary ejector shaft 61 rotates by transmitting rotational force from the first drive assembly 100, described below. In this case, each of the ejector ribs 62 moves at its end along the inner periphery of the corresponding ice formation groove 51, so that ice cubes prepared in the ice formation groove 51 are pushed and unloaded from the ice formation groove 51.

The ice hopper 80 has a substantially box-shaped opening on its upper surface for receiving and storing ice cubes discharged from the ice-making mold 50 by the ejector 60, and is located under the ice-making mold 50.

The ice hopper 80 contains, on one side, an ice crushing device 90 for finely grinding ice cubes stored in the ice hopper 80, and the ice crushing device 90 is provided on its lower side with an outlet opening 91 communicating with the discharge channel 34 (see Fig. 2) of a dispenser 30 for discharging crushed ice cubes into a dispenser 30 (see Fig. 2).

In addition, an ice hopper 80 is disposed with an auger 81 for moving ice cubes stored in an ice hopper 80 to an ice crushing apparatus 90. Although described below, the screw 81 rotates by transmitting rotational force from a second drive unit 120 located at the rear of the ice hopper 80 to move the ice cubes forward.

The fan 43 of the chamber for making ice (or a blower) is used to circulate cold air in the chamber 40 for making ice and forms a circulation channel 44 for cold air. The ice-making chamber fan 43 is surrounded by an ice-making chamber fan casing, which is formed in its lower portion with an inlet 45 when being formed on its front side with an outlet 46, so that cold air is drawn in from the lower portion of the ice-cooling chamber fan casing 47 and is discharged on the front side of the casing 47 of the fan of the chamber for making ice.

As shown in FIG. 4, the released cold air passes between the ice mold 50 and the drainage channel 70 and goes forward to reach the ice crushing device 90 and then goes back again.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 6, cold air passes between the ice mold 50 and the drainage channel 70, and during the passage, the cold air simultaneously passes to the ice hopper 80 located under the ice mold 50, thereby providing cooling chambers 40 for ice making in three dimensions.

Although described below, the second drive unit 120 is located directly below the fan 43 of the chamber for the preparation of ice. Accordingly, since air relatively and forcibly passes around the second drive unit 120, deposits and growth of frost and fog can be prevented around the second drive unit 120.

The first drive unit 100 serves as a device for transmitting rotational force to the ejector 60 and rotates the ejector 60. The first drive unit 100 may include a controller 104 for controlling processes such as water supply, ice preparation, thawing, ice level determination and the like. The controller 104 may include a heating element for radiating heat.

The first drive unit 100 includes a first electric motor 102 for generating rotational force, a first housing 101 and a first portion 103 for receiving an optical sensor.

The first electric motor 102 serves as a device for converting electricity to mechanical energy through electromagnetic induction and generates a rotational force to transmit rotational force to the rotary ejector shaft 61.

The first housing 101 is made in essentially box-shaped form to accommodate the first electric motor 102 and controller 104.

The first portion 103 for receiving the optical sensor is formed for mounting the emitter 150 or the receiver 151, and this will be described in detail below.

The second drive unit 120 includes a second electric motor 122 for generating rotational force, a second housing 121 and a second portion 123 for receiving an optical sensor.

The second electric motor 122 serves as a device for converting electricity to mechanical energy through electromagnetic induction and generates a rotational force to transmit rotational force to the screw 81.

The second housing 121 is made in essentially box-shaped form to accommodate the second electric motor 122.

A second portion 123 for receiving an optical sensor is formed for mounting an emitter 150 or a receiver 151, like the first portion 103 for receiving an optical sensor. This will be described in detail below.

The first and second electric motors 102 and 122 simultaneously radiate heat during the generation of rotational force. Accordingly, the first and second drive units 100 and 120 correspond to relatively high temperature portions in the ice making chamber 40.

Meanwhile, the ice maker 42 according to an embodiment of the present invention further includes optical sensors 150 and 151 for detecting the ice level in the ice hopper 80. Optical sensors 150 and 151 consist of an emitter 150 for issuing optical signals and a receiver 151 for receiving optical signals issued by the emitter 150.

The emitter 150 and the receiver 151 are mounted on the ice-making chamber 40 in such a way that the direct optical channel between them essentially corresponds to the height when the ice hopper 80 is completely filled with ice cubes. In particular, the emitter 150 and the receiver 151 are respectively mounted on the first and second drive units 100 and 120, which are relatively high temperature parts in the ice making chamber 40, to prevent erroneous detection of optical signals due to shutdown or deformation due to fog and frost.

Although it is shown that the emitter 150 is mounted on the first drive unit 100 and the receiver 151 is mounted on the second drive unit 120 in the drawings, it is natural that the emitter 150 can be installed on the second drive unit 120 and the receiver 151 can be installed on the first drive unit 100.

Moreover, since the emitter 150 and the receiver 151 are arranged to face each other so that a direct optical channel can be formed between them, the emitter 150 is installed in the rear lower portion of the first drive unit 100, while the receiver 151 is installed in the front upper portion of the second drive unit 120.

In addition, the emitter 150 and the receiver 151 can be installed in the diagonal direction to increase the detection range.

For one example, when the emitter 150 is mounted on one side in the width direction of the rear lower portion of the first drive unit 100, the receiver 151 can be mounted on the other side in the width direction of the front upper portion of the second drive unit 120.

In this case, the emitter 150 can be installed to be located on the inner surface of the first casing 101 to easily receive heat from the first electric motor 102 and the controller 101 due to convection. A receiver 151 may be mounted to be located on the surface of the second body 121 to be located on the circulation channel 44 for cold air and to prevent the growth of fog and frost due to the forced flow of cold air.

However, an embodiment of the present invention is not limited to this. Accordingly, the emitter 150 and the receiver 151 can be respectively mounted on the parts to further prevent the growth of fog and frost between the inner surfaces, surfaces or the surface and the inner surface of the respective first and second bodies 101 and 121, usually taking into account the effect of heat transfer due to convection and the effect due to circulation flow of cold air.

Fig.7 is an enlarged view of the first section for accommodating the optical sensor in Fig.4. Fig. 8 is an enlarged view of a second portion for receiving an optical sensor in Fig. 4.

The first and second sections 103 and 123 for receiving the optical sensor will be described below with reference to Fig.7 and 8.

The first and second sections 103 and 123 for receiving the optical sensor can be formed in various configurations. However, in an embodiment of the present invention, a first portion 103 for receiving an optical sensor is formed on the surface of the first housing 101 and includes a first mounting portion 106 and a first region 107 for receiving an optical sensor.

The first mounting portion 106 protrudes from the inner surface of the first housing 101 when formed with the first region 107 to accommodate an optical sensor therein.

Although the emitter 150 is installed in the first region 107 for receiving the optical sensor in the embodiment of the present invention, as described above, the receiver 151 can be installed in the first region 107 for receiving the optical sensor.

In this case, the first section 103 for receiving the optical sensor further includes protrusions 108 that protrude to the first region 107 for receiving the optical sensor from opposite inner side surfaces of the first mounting section 106.

The protrusions 108 support a radiator 150 or a receiver 151 located in the first region 107 for receiving an optical sensor, and at the same time minimize the contact area between the radiator 150 or the receiver 151 and the first housing 101 to ensure minimal heat transfer due to thermal conductivity.

The reason is that the first housing 101 has a high temperature in its interior portion due to the heat generated by the first electric motor 102 and the controller 104, but the first housing 101 itself may have a low temperature due to external cold air.

Accordingly, in accordance with such a configuration of the protrusions 108, an emitter 150 or a receiver 151 mounted in a first portion 103 to receive an optical sensor can minimize heat transfer to the first housing 101.

In this case, the first housing 101 is made on one of its surface with an opening 105, so that the emitter 150 or the receiver 151 mounted on the first section 103 for receiving the optical sensor is open to the outside of the first housing 101.

A second portion 123 for receiving the optical sensor is formed on the surface of the second housing 121 and includes a second mounting portion 124 and a second region 125 for receiving the optical sensor.

The second mounting portion 124 protrudes from the outer side surface of the second housing 121 when executed with the second region 125 for receiving the optical sensor.

The second region 125 for receiving the optical sensor accommodates the emitter 150 or the receiver 151.

9 is a sectional view of an ice maker in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, like reference numerals will refer to like elements, and no description will be given regarding a configuration similar to the previous embodiment in yet another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 9, an ice maker 142 and a refrigerator including it, in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, is equipped with a heat exchanger 130 only for an ice making chamber, instead of a refrigerant pipe for directly supplying cold air coming in contact with the mold 50 for making ice. That is, the ice maker 142 has an indirect cooling configuration using a heat exchanger 130.

Despite this configuration, the emitter 150 can be mounted on the first drive unit 100, and the receiver 151 can be mounted on the second drive unit 120 to prevent erroneous determination of the emitter 150 and receiver 151 due to fog and frost. Of course, the emitter 150 and the receiver 151 can also be installed in the reverse order.

In this case, the heat exchanger 130 only for the ice-making chamber serves as an element for hoarfrost to prevent hoarfrost on other devices or areas by causing hoarfrost to deposit on the heat exchanger 130 itself.

10 is a sectional view of an ice maker in accordance with yet another embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, like reference numerals will refer to like elements, and no description will be given regarding a configuration similar to the previous embodiment, in this embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 10, an ice maker 242 and a refrigerator including it, in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, includes a channel 140 for supplying cold air to the ice making chamber for suction of cold air from another storage chamber except chambers for ice making.

The cold air passing through the channel 140 for supplying cold air to the ice-making chamber again passes to another storage chamber through a separate channel for discharging cold air from the ice-making chamber (not shown), thereby providing circulation.

The emitter 150 can be mounted on the first drive unit 100, and the receiver 151 can be mounted on the second drive unit 120 to prevent erroneous determination of the emitter 150 and receiver 151 due to fog and frost. Of course, the emitter 150 and the receiver 151 can also be installed in the reverse order.

The ice maker 242 may function as an element for depositing hoarfrost and include plates 141 only for depositing hoarfrost.

Claims (15)

1. Refrigerator containing:
an ice mold in which ice cubes are formed;
an ejector for unloading ice cubes from the ice mold;
ice hopper for storing ice cubes unloaded by the ejector;
a screw for moving ice cubes from the ice hopper;
a first drive unit for transmitting rotational force to the ejector;
a second drive unit for transmitting rotational force to the screw;
an emitter for generating an optical signal for determining whether the ice cubes in the ice bin are at a maximum level for ice; and
a receiver for receiving an optical signal of the emitter;
moreover
any one of the emitter and receiver is installed on the first drive unit; and
another is mounted on the second drive unit. 2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, in which the first drive unit is located in front of the ice mold; and
the second drive unit is located behind the ice bin. 3. The refrigerator according to claim 2, in which
any one of the emitter and receiver is installed on the rear lower portion of the first drive unit; and
another is mounted on the front upper portion of the second drive unit. 4. The refrigerator according to claim 1, in which the first drive unit contains:
a first electric motor for generating rotational force;
a first housing for receiving a first electric motor; and
a first portion for receiving an optical sensor located on the inner surface of the first housing for mounting a transmitter or receiver. 5. The refrigerator according to claim 4, in which the first drive unit further comprises a controller, which is located in the first case for controlling the processes of ice preparation. 6. The refrigerator according to claim 4, in which the first case is made on one of its surfaces with a hole, so that the emitter or receiver installed in the first section to accommodate the optical sensor is open to the outside. 7. The refrigerator according to claim 4, in which the first section for accommodating the optical sensor contains:
a first mounting portion that projects from an inner side surface of the first housing; and
a first region for receiving an optical sensor formed inside the first mounting portion. 8. The refrigerator according to claim 7, in which the first section for receiving the optical sensor further comprises protrusions that protrude from opposite inner side surfaces of the first mounting portion to support the emitter or receiver. 9. The refrigerator according to claim 1, in which the second drive unit contains:
a second electric motor for generating rotational force;
a second housing for receiving a second electric motor; and
a second section for receiving an optical sensor, located on the surface of the second housing, for mounting the emitter or receiver. 10. The refrigerator according to claim 9, in which the second section for accommodating the optical sensor contains:
a second mounting portion that projects from the outer side surface of the second housing; and
a second region for receiving an optical sensor formed inside the second mounting portion. 11. The refrigerator according to claim 1, additionally containing an injection fan for circulating cold air to form a circulation channel for cold air in the ice-making chamber,
moreover, the emitter and the receiver are located on the circulation channel. 12. The refrigerator according to claim 11, further comprising an element for depositing hoarfrost located on the ice-making chamber to cause hoarfrost to be deposited on the hoarfrost depositing member. 13. The refrigerator according to item 12, further comprising a refrigerant supply conduit for contacting at least a portion thereof with an ice-making mold for supplying cold air to the ice-making chamber,
moreover, the element for the deposition of hoarfrost contains heat exchange ribs that protrude from the bottom of the mold for making ice. 14. The refrigerator according to claim 1, additionally containing:
main building;
a storage chamber formed inside the main body when opened on its front surface; and
an ice making chamber formed in the storage chamber. 15. The refrigerator according to claim 1, in which the emitter and receiver are installed in a diagonal direction to increase the detection range.

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